We find that, for many categories of taxes, states that have upgraded their tax-processing systems see statistically and economically significant increases in collections relative to states that have not. Specifically, we detect positive impacts for amusement taxes, tobacco taxes, motor vehicle...

There are several reasons for the obscurity of the organizational process model. Perhaps the most important is the widespread acceptance of the standard economic model, which holds that spending outcomes are determined by the supply of and the demand for publicly provided goods and services and...

Government contracting is rife with miscommunication and misperception, sometimes unavoidably, and is often associated with secrecy, autarky, and opportunism. These qualities undermine trust, increase contracting costs, and reduce effective collaboration between business and government. In this...

Why should the GAO audit the Fed? Assigning the GAO to protect us against political favoritism looks a lot like asking the fox to guard the hen house. What we really want to know is whether or not the Federal Reserve's asset purchases, loans and guarantees make money for the taxpayer. We have...

A lot of people agree about what needs to be done to fix Oregon's state finances, the real question is how? The surprising answer is that there is a fairly simple, cheap solution. The first step is to take the sales tax off the table. The second step is to take very seriously the proposal put...

Based on the indirect arbitrage opportunities afforded citizens by tax-exempt debt issue, this article presents a model establishing equilibrium in the market for tax-exempt debt. The model yields two predictions. Increases in Federal income tax rates increase the spread between taxable and...

Private enterprises should be concerned with maximizing productivity. Government should be concerned with minimizing risk, perhaps subject to a cost or productivity constraint. Value creation in government ought to strive for consistency, coherency, and transparency. Achieving consistency and...

Minimum wage hikes express our sympathy for the working poor and our solidarity with them. But their importance is largely symbolic. The net effects of moderate increases in wage floors are vanishingly small. Statutory wage minimums work like taxes on labor, with their proceeds paid directly to...